A discarded cigarette is believed to have caused a fire that burned a portion of a Jefferson City restaurant, Thursday afternoon, causing an estimated $40,000 in damage.
According to Jefferson City Fire Department reports, the fire at Longhorn Steakhouse, 3545 Missouri Boulevard, was called in around 4 p.m.
When crews arrived on the scene smoke was coming from the building.
The fire started in an outside decorative mulch area on the west side of the building.
The flames went up the outside of the building into the upper interior portion of the structure.
The restaurant was evacuated and no injuries were reported.
It took fire fighters about 15 minutes to bring the fire under control.
Most of the fire damage was to the outside of the building, but there was water and smoke damage to the inside of the restaurant, with the waiting area and bar area getting the worst of the damage.